Story: Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation

Native Land Court certificate of title

This certificate of title was issued in the Native Land Court at Nelson in 1883 for D’Urville Island (Rangitoto te tai Tonga) and adjacent islets. A large number of owners were registered on the certificate.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, D'Urville Island Documents

Reference: fMS-Papers-1634

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Richard Boast, Te tango whenua – Māori land alienation – Establishing the Native Land Court, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/19526/native-land-court-certificate-of-title (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Richard Boast, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.